Business in LaRousse
by silver-hedgehog
Summary: May and Drew are a beautiful, rich, successful and newly wedded couple who are envied by many, but other than by law and the pretend love they put on in public nothing is real. Is May really in love with Drew or is she just in it for the money? Contestshipping.
1. Chapter 1

Well, this is my new story that was inspired by a Chinese drama called _Wish and Switch _(Hayley's side of the story). Since I don't have a title that I'm happy with for this fic, please feel free to submit any title ideas to me!

Please note the dates in the story. The time jumps back and forth quite a lot. I would know because I've written like the first nine chapters.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon or the general plot.

Chapter 1: Night after the Wedding

4th April 2011

The door to the lavish, dimly lit room swung open and the newlyweds stumbled in and dropped themselves down onto the soft bed. The groom's tuxedo was neatly done up and crease free only hours ago, his green hair was all tussled up now but still, his new wife loved the way it looked.

The wife herself wasn't looking too neat anymore either. Her hair was partially out of her hair sprayed messy updo and her make-up had smeared slightly. Her dress was somehow still intact from all the lifting from her husband and her shoes were off the moment they stumbled into the plush penthouse apartment.

They lived in the infamous La Rousse city, home of some of the world's biggest businesses, and here, pretty much everyone lived in apartments. The pair just happened to live in one of the fanciest La Rousse had to offer. The elevator that took them to their floor, way up in the building, required a special card key and once there, the elevator doors opened to reveal the scratch free marble flooring of their home. To the right was a long balcony with a few plants and a loveseat facing the view of the sparkling blue ocean. To the left was the main living area where the huge flat screen sat on the fancy glass table. Across from that was a golden silk textured sofa. Walking further in the house was an open kitchen, filled with the latest high-tech kitchen gadgets, on one side while the remaining open space contained a large black glass dinner table with matching silk covered seats. Last of all, ahead of that was a spiralling set of stairs with an immensely expensive looking handrail. At the top of the stairs was where the couple were now.

The bride watched as her husband slept. His usually sun-kissed skin was slightly on the red side from the excessive consumption of shots that everyone insisted he did. May ran a finger down his warm cheek and smiled to herself, thinking about how sexy he looked. She too was a bit drunk herself but even if she was completely sober, she would still think that about her husband Drew.

She put her head down on his firm chest and enjoyed the loving moment; she probably wasn't going to experience anything close like this for the next year because this isn't real.

None of it is.

20th December 2010

The door to the brightly lit haberdashery opened and before she had any time to react, the customer was already flocked by sales assistants throwing themselves at him because by the looks of it, he was likely to be rich. Very rich.

But May felt somewhat lucky that she was not one of the people serving him, he did not look like he was in a good mood and within minutes of entering the shop for a new pair of shoes to replace his scratched ones, he had rejected the top and utmost perfect ones that any guy would die for. The sales assistants were out of ideas about what to do next.

May noticed what her colleagues were doing and took the plunge and showed him a pair of less expensive shoes designed by a lower profile designer.

He looked up at her face and noticed the warm smile that graced her lips and the sparkle in her deep blue eyes. He knew right away that she was someone special.

He bought the shoes and then left with more than he was expecting.

27th December 2010

May dove into the small café to avoid the heavy rain that was doing a good job of keeping people off the normally busy streets. The café that she went into was a small and quiet one. She had been in there a few times before to enjoy the cakes and occasionally a coffee too, but most of the time she settled for tea. She ordered herself a slice of the mouth-watering lemon cake and a cup of hot tea, and pulled her purse out.

She stared at what was inside it: no notes, only about six pokedollars in scrap coins. She wasn't due to get paid until next week, six dollars was all she had to make do with until pay day. To put it short, May could barely afford this rainy day treat.

"Make that two slices of lemon cake and two cups of tea." Said a masculine voice from behind her as he slapped down a fifty dollar bill on the counter. "And keep the change." He added.

May's mouth opened but she closed it again when he looked at her. She took the scrap change out of her purse and tried to give it to him but he wouldn't take it.

"Take this as thanks for the shoes." He said as he indicated downwards to his feet. May followed his gaze and noticed that the shoes he wore were the same ones she sold him only day ago. It went well with the grey suit he was wearing, though it was a shade darker than what it was supposed to be due to it being damp from the rain.

May smiled again, the same smile as the one she flashed at him last time. "In that case thank you." She said as she picked up the tray with their teas and cakes and followed the green haired man to the corner.

They sat at the corner table and spoke about the littlest things that didn't seem to matter and before they knew it, it was time for May to leave. Work calls.

At least two good things came out of this for May: free food and his number.

13th March 2011

May had just finished her shift and was waiting at the bus stop when his car pulled up. He opened the window and invited her in. She accepted, after all, they were pretty much dating. She sat down on the cold, white leather seat and plugged her seatbelt into the socket. The car had a one-way screen which separated the front of the car from the back, giving May and Drew some privacy to speak freely.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Drew." May said as she looked at him. Her smile faded when she noticed his expression.

"We don't expect a lot of things, May Maple." Drew said. His was expression dark. He tossed an envelope at her, which she opened and looked at its contents. "You work at the boutique to meet rich guys and get them to pay for your university tuition." He accused.

And he was right to do so.

The envelope contained nothing but photos and all of them were of May with other men; or more specifically, her past, rich CEO boyfriends. May was speechless. Sure she had done something like that a few times before but in her defence; the men she dated offered to do it. They just happened to like her smile. They paid for her university tuitions willingly. And she hadn't done that in the past year since there was no need to do so anymore.

"Speechless? I must be right then." He smirked at her. He looked away from her and looked out the window, at the beautiful surroundings that passed them by quickly. Like the time that he has known her.

May looked at him, water started to fill her eyes, obscuring her vision slightly. But that didn't matter, what really mattered to her was that she may have lost Drew, the man she thought she may be in love with. "So are you going to break up with me?" She asked him, looking him straight in the eyes. A bit of anger was evident in her voice, doing a good job of masking her sadness.

Drew laughed, causing May to look at him, confused about his reaction to her question. "No. I've got a proposition." Drew said, "Marry me."

May's heart stopped for a second. "What?"

"My dad thinks I'm too immature to ever settle down. He left me our family business in his will but I don't own any of it until I get married to someone for at least a year." He explained.

May looked at him. He seemed so different from the times she had known him, and even though those days were not long, she could tell that that was the genuine him, not the Drew Hayden that sat before her now.

"I'll give you some time to think about my offer." Drew said just as the car pulled over by a block of old, bashed up looking apartments that May lived in. A student could only afford so much.

May was about to open the car door when she stopped and signalled to the chauffeur to give them some time. "What do I get in return?" she asked, her voice was firm and her gaze was. . . Aggressive. A look that Drew had never seen on May's face before but the look _fascinated_ him

"A sizable amount of money when we divorce after our year of marriage anything you want whenever you want it during our year together." He tempted and he knew it was only a matter of time before May was going to give in to a life of luxury.

May looked at him, refusing to let her stare falter. "Give me one more thing and I'm in." May said, her gaze was intense, letting Drew know that she meant business. "I want a job in your company and I want to know that my job will still be secure even after our year of marriage. Under no circumstances can you fire me."

Drew laughed. "A girl who knows what they want. A girl who thinks about the benefits in the long run." Drew moved closer to her. "I like it."

"Do we have a deal?" May asked her face inches away from his. There was no backing out now.

"You're aggressive. I like that." He smirked at her. "We have a deal."

Inside, May was beaming, smiling that she had a steady future, no longer needing to worry about looking for a job after she graduates – there seemed to be a shortage of jobs in the modern day society. On the outside, May's intense gaze had softened a touch. She let a small grin escape her lips as she turned to leave the car.

"Oh, May," he said, causing her to turn back to face him. "I'll be back in a few days to propose to you."

And it wasn't until then May has truly realised what she had REALLY gotten herself into.

4th April 2011

Her head rested against his muscly chest as she let her eyes slowly close and her mind drift off into a state of nothingness. She snapped back into reality when she felt herself harshly fly off the bed and onto the carpeted flooring which, luckily, softened her fall. She looked up to see Drew no longer lying on the bed but on his feet.

"Just because we're married, that doesn't mean any of this is real." He snapped at her before he left the room and into the ensuite bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

May sat on the floor, a single tear falling down her rosy cheek.

xxxxxxx

Hope this first chapter is enough to convince you to review it for more! After all, reviews are highly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Em, so hi. I kind of disappeared from ff.n for a while but I'm back with an update. Hope people are still reading this and also I hope you'll enjoy this update!

Chapter 2: Getting Past the In-law

5th April 2011

May woke up the next day with a throbbing head. Her body was barely on the king sized bed for she feared that she would roll further towards her 'husband' if she wasn't cautious – which she was likely to be the case during the course of the night – and god knows what how he'd react then. He already caused her to hurt her arm.

May sat up and rubbed her eyes and looked beside her. Her husband was out of bed and it wasn't even six yet. May guessed that it was because he wanted to get away from her. But what puzzled her was that only a few weeks ago did he seem to very fond of her in a romantic way and now he acted as if he hates her guts and wants nothing to do with her, romantically speaking anyway.

May threw the gold, silky bedcovers back and got out of bed. Her feet felt weird when they felt a soft and warm carpet instead of the hard, cold wooden flooring of her old, crammed apartment. She left the room and entered the large bathroom which had a bath AND a Jacuzzi, something May had to try when Drew was out on a business trip. She walked straight over to the marble counter and sink, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her bedhead was worse than usual and despite having removed her make up last night, some of the remnants were still smeared across her flawless skin.

"We have got a lot of work to do, my friend." She said to her bleary reflection.

After what seemed like a good amount of time spent fixing her hair and face, she unlocked the bathroom door, came out and walked over to her personal walk-in closet in the bedroom. She pushed the set of golden painted doors open to reveal a dimly lit room filled with shelves with the hottest designer shoes and racks with glamorous dresses – a girl's dream. Everything looked somewhat fancy; not her usual jeans and t-shirts that she wore on dress-down days but she decided she was going to have to make do. Dress-down days were no longer permitted, according to their contract.

May removed her silk pyjamas and had chosen a white dress, which was low-cut at the back, and a pair of nude shade heels to match. She had to remove her bra for the dress and as soon as that had dropped onto the floor, she heard the door click, open and in came her husband.

They looked at each other. Drew's burning green eyes met May's stunned blue ones. May froze. Just because they're 'married' that did NOT mean the Drew was going to get to see her naked like that, except for now. When May snapped out of shock, she covered up her body with the nearest piece of cloth.

Drew managed to maintain his composure and turned his head to one side. "Use the bathroom whenever you're going to get dressed." Drew sneered as he left the room.

May shut the door behind Drew and leaned her back against it, her heart racing over what had just happened. She didn't need a mirror to tell her that her face was as red as a tomato from the embarrassment and shame; mostly the latter though seeing as May was generally quite a body proud person.

xxxxxx

Drew walked down the last few steps of the staircase and in the process of doing so, caught his mother's attention. She sat at the breakfast table, an empty plate in front of her and her cutlery placed perfectly in the twenty past four position. For a woman that was almost fifty she looked rather young for her age. Her skin was crease free and her hair was still complete brown, nothing like Drew's unusual hair colour but they had the same mesmerising green eyes. Her ensemble was one that was fit for the queen. The midnight blue dress she wore added an extra oomph to her normal air of elegance to her.

"That was fast." his mother spoke, "I hope you woke her up gently. I have yet to meet my new daughter-in-law."

Drew took a seat across from her. "Of course I woke her up gently." Drew said. His mind drifting off to seeing May like he did only moments ago. Sure, he went out with her but he had never did anything more than kiss her on their dates. He didn't even take her to his suave penthouse home and she had never taken him up to her crummy studio apartment. To put it short, he never thought of what May was like underneath her clothes like he did with all the other girls he had dated before.

"Were you listening to me?" his mother whined, looking at him slightly annoyed that he clearly wasn't paying attention to her.

"Yeah, yeah." Drew nodded nonchalantly, not sure what he had just agreed to but if he had to guess, it was something he was likely to regret at a later date.

And just before Drew had a chance to agree to anything else that his mother was whittling on about, they heard a pair of heels clicking against the wooden flooring of the stairs.

May was confident about her ensemble when she looked at herself in the mirror before she left the room but now that she had two pairs of eyes on her, staring at her like a hawk, an element of uncertainty started to stir in her tummy. She hated being the prey and not the predator. She tried to push that thought out of her mind by concentrating on her walking instead. Her heels were so high that it worried her that one wrong step would cause her to break an ankle.

Drew and his mother watched May intently. She didn't wobble under their gazes which was impressive but Drew did worry that she would say something wrong or stupid or both and blow his whole plan. His demeanour, on the contrary, did not reflect his concerns.

May approached the two at the table. _Just smile and walk._ She mentally said to herself. She almost swore at the table when she felt it happened. She felt herself slip slightly but covered it up by looking at her dress then giving it a quick brush with her hands. She made a note to be careful of the sleek floors in the future.

"You look good today, May." Drew said as he got up to May's side and slipped an arm round her slender waist. He pulled her closer so that their bodies were touching. Even with her heels on May was smaller than him by a fair bit.

"Thank you Drew." May smiled and looked at him. Her smile was rather genuine. Either she was a very good liar or she thought Drew's compliment was sincere. Drew's look was something rather odd. May wracked her brain for an answer when she eventually gathered what it meant and showed it by kissing him on the cheek. "You're such a charmer." She said to him.

"Good morning, Abigail." May greeted, mentally cheering that she remembered Abigail's liking to be addressed by her first name rather than 'mum' or 'mother'.

Drew's mother, Abigail, nodded in May's direction. "Good morning May." She gestured for May to take a place at the dinner table.

May quickly looked at Drew, who gave her a look telling her to move before he re-joined his mother at the table. May felt extremely nervous being so close to Abigail. She had never met her properly before she married Drew so this was essentially the first opportunity she had to sit down and have a chat with her.

Drew sat down beside her. He knew that if May could impress his mother, the next two years would pass easily, after all, his mother did have a keen eye for spotting phonies; whether it was with clothes or people, it didn't matter; it was all the same.

"So May, it's so good to finally get to sit down with you." Abigail said. She had her elbows propped on the table and had formed a little platform with her hands to rest her chin on.

May nodded in agreement. The conversation had just began and she was about to die from nerves from just being around this woman and her offspring. "Likewise." She replied coolly which was the polar opposite from how she was feeling now.

"Drew tells me you're a smart girl." She said, her jade green eyes, who Drew must've inherited his from, bored into May.

"Not at all, just average." May replied. She never did know what to say when people called her smart or pretty or anything like that. She didn't want to sound arrogant (after all being arrogant was her husband's role and she personally believed that there was not enough room for two to be arrogant in this household) but she doesn't want to understate herself and come across as unconfident either.

Abigail laughed. "Oh, May, Drew did say you are modest." May took her laughter as a good sign and so did Drew, for now at least. Maybe they didn't need to be so nervous after all. "But Drew told me something that worries me." She said, snapping out of her laughter faster than lightening can strike. May and Drew's eyes both grew wide in anticipation of what she was going to come out with next, May more so than Drew. "You're a graduate of one of the region's top university, you have a master's degree and a whole load of career plans. But what about children?" she asked.

May almost choked on the glass of orange juice she was drinking. Drew was caught off guard too. He looked at his mother with widened eyes.

"Mother," Drew said sternly, "Let's not jump ahead here." He regained his composure almost instantaneously.

"But Drew, I want grandchildren! Johanna was just gloating the other day about her new grandson." she whined then looked at May. "And I'm sure May would love to have some children too."

The said girl didn't know whose side to take. If she took Drew's side, she could end up in a rocky relationship with her new mother-in-law who could make her life hell and possibly exploit Drew's plans, resulting in her with nothing. If she took Abigail's side, Drew would make her life for the next year (and probably afterwards) even worse than hell by tormenting her and giving her grief. But luckily she was saved from answering by Drew.

"May has endometriosis." Drew lied, flawlessly in May's opinion. She didn't even know what the disease she apparently now has is but she was certain that whatever it was, she did not have it.

"Oh, my…" Abigail sounded concerned as she looked at May sympathetically.

May nodded in agreement. She was going to have to research endometriosis later, just in case Abigail decided to question her about it. She only hoped that she didn't need to pretend to be physically ill or anything like that.

Drew took this silence as an opportunity to change the subject. "So, mother, what are your plans for the next few weeks?"

Her mother laughed. "Don't you worry. I'll be out of here by tomorrow morning so you and May can do whatever you want to do." She replied with a wink.

May blushed a little and looked over to Drew who gave her a seductive look. She turned her head away shyly, exactly the reaction he was going for.

Abigail laughed again. "I'll leave you two alone now." she said as she rose from her seat and headed over to the elevator, swiping her Prada handbag in one swift motion as she passed the sofa.

May and Drew bid her goodbye for now and the moment the elevator doors touched, they widened the gap between them and started to bicker.

"You didn't blow our cover." Drew announced.

"Of course I wouldn't." May retaliated, "It wouldn't benefit me anyway if I did." May reasoned, trying to rival Drew's tone which was somewhat fierce.

"But you almost did."

"I didn't say anything that could possibly give us away." May defended.

"It's not what you said but how you come across." He wasn't wrong. There were some points where May did feel extra nervous but she thought she concealed it quite well. Apparently not though.

"Well, maybe next time you're going to make me have some sort of illness can you please tell me about it before hand?" May yelled.

Drew moved in closer and May stepped back. He eventually trapped her between himself and the cold wall. "Maybe I overestimated your intelligence." He said in a quieter voice, his warm breath tickling her skin. He pulled away afterwards and headed up the stairs.

May watched him retreat up the stairs, her eyes filled with anger towards that man that was supposedly her husband. It was less than twenty-four hours into their marriage and she was already regretting her decision for a second time.

xxxxxx

6th April 2011

May sat at the dressing table. She got up only moments ago and since Drew was still in the bathroom, May resorted to fixing her bedhead while she waited.

She heard a knock at the door. It caused May's heart to stop. She whirled round in her seat just in time to see a head pop in. Her mother-in-law. Great. Wasn't she meant to have left by now?

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." She said while slipping in. In her world, an invitation ceased to exist.

May quickly recovered from her panic and put on a warm and welcoming smile. "Not at all. If you're looking for Drew he's in the bathroom." May said indicating to the bathroom door but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Actually, I'm here to see you." She said to May which caused her to choke on the saliva in her mouth. However, she managed to hide that from her face; she wore a blank expression instead.

"Me?" May repeated.

Abigail nodded "Yes, you." she smiled at May's confusion, "I thought I should spend the day getting to know my new daughter-in-law."

Luckily May didn't need to say anything because right then, they heard the bathroom door open and Drew emerged seconds later, his hair wet. The little droplets of water that fell from his hair soaked his shirt slightly.

"Mother?" Drew said, "I thought you left this morning."

"I was going to but then I thought I should spend some quality time with my new daughter-in-law!" she answered enthusiastically with a hand on May's knee.

"But then you'll miss the fashion show in Celadon." Drew pointed out.

"There'll be other fashion shows." Abigail defended. "So it's settled. May and I will go shopping while you go to work."

"Then I have nothing to say." Drew said, reaching his green tie that he had chosen out earlier and started to tie it.

May took this as an opportunity to make her look good. "Let me help you Drew bear." She said as she got up and started to do his tie notably neater than what Drew could do himself. "Any tips?" May mouthed to Drew

"Don't give me pet names." Drew murmured to her

"Not that kind of tip." She whispered in a rush.

"Thanks May." and he kissed her forehead lightly, using his arm to pull her closer. "Be aware of any connotations." He whispered to her.

"Well, I'll be in my room." Abigail said as she head to the door, "Actually, I'll be downstairs so I won't hear anything." And with that she was gone, sooner than they thought.

As soon as the door closed, Drew's arm dropped from around May's waist and she took a step back immediately.

"Impressive Maple." Drew smirked, "Big improvement from yesterday."

"Of course." May replied, "If I'm going to do the job then I may as well make it convincing. After all I am getting paid."

"Good." Drew praised.

"That and I have your credit cards." May added before she shut the bathroom door behind her.

Drew grinned to himself. Maybe she was the perfect person to hire for the job.

May looked at herself in the mirror. Deep down she was absolutely terrified about the fate of the rest of the day but she put her battle front up and was rearing to go.

xxxxxx

They entered a boutique. One that was filled with the work of renowned fashion designer Dawn Berlitz, who also happened to be one of May's favourites. This was probably the first time May was going to buy something from this designer. She looked at the dresses and took one off the racks.

"That's gorgeous." Abigail said from behind her.

May nodded in agreement. The dress was red and sleeveless, coming in at the waist, a part of the body that May always had people envying. She pulled out the label and looked at the size.

"Why don't you try it on." Abigail suggested, "No need to worry about the price seeing as you're not the one who's paying."

"I was checking the size." May muttered in response to Abigail's snide remark.

"What did you say, dear?" Abigail asked.

May didn't repeat herself. Instead she decided to question Abigail. "Are trying to say something?" May asked, instantly worrying about the response she'd receive afterwards but it was a bit too late to start regretting saying that. "Are you implying that I married Drew to live off his money?"

Abigail looked at her, a serious expression on her face. "Well, you're not exactly from a rich family who could afford such a dress." She said, indicating the dress that May was holding.

"I may not have been born into a wealthy family or brought up surrounded by expensive gadgets and gears but that only made me strive to work harder and get my degree. I wouldn't need to sponge off Drew."

"You're lying." Abigail said abruptly.

May shook her head. "If I was going to live off Drew's money then there wouldn't have been a need for me to finish my degree and I wouldn't have wasted time getting to know him, like how I know he hates it when people doubt his decisions." She shot back.

Abigail suddenly smiled at her. ""You are smart, May. Drew was right about that." She said, leaving what she said open for May to interpret however she wanted.

"You're very sharp yourself, Abigail." May replied, watching the older woman's reaction.

Abigail looked up from the top she was looking at. "Please, May, call me mother from now on."

"I thought you hated it when people called you that."

"I make exceptions for a few special people."

May smiled at what she just heard. "Okay, mother." She said, trying out the new phrase.

xxxxxx

After spending an entire day shopping with her "mother" May was absolutely exhausted after it. She laid on the bed and nurtured her arm which was slightly bruised from two nights ago when she was rudely thrown off the bed.

Just then Drew entered the room. He stood by the door and watched May before he said anything. She stared back at him, unsure whether she should say something first or remain silent and wait for him to speak.

"What did she ask you today?" Drew asked as he headed over to the massage chair by the floor to ceiling windows. He switched it on and let it work its magic on his back. When May didn't say anything he spoke again. "Don't worry, she's went out to meet some friends and won't be back for a while."

Once May found out about her mother-in-law's whereabouts, she felt more at ease to regurgitate today's event back out to him, not daring to miss out even the most minute detail.

Drew thought about May's description of his mother's actions. "Keep your guard up, May, I think she believes us for now but that could change at any time."

May nodded. She knew it was going to be tough not letting anything that's not supposed to slip out from her mouth slip out. "I will. She seems like the type of person who knows more than she lets on."

"She is." Drew said, shutting his eyes.

The room fell silent again. May was about to lie down to sleep but she stopped to look at Drew. He appeared to be holding something which he casually tossed in her direction.

"That's for this today's good performance." He said as he shut his eyes again and continued to relax in the chair.

May opened the box and saw the most beautiful pair of pure diamond rose shaped necklace ever. That definitely made the injury to May's arm worth it.

* * *

Okay, so yes, I'm sorry for the slow update but I feel that's no reason for people not to review! I get sad when people don't :( especially when I had a hectic morning with a blocked pipe!

Please make my day!

~silver-hedgehog


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Working

7th April 2011

May didn't want to get up this morning. Her eyes wouldn't listen to her and open up when she wanted them to. Urgently too. The only reason May was so tired was because her mother-in-law woke both her and Drew up at four in the morning to bid them goodbye as she jetted off to god knows where to see god knows who in god knows what kind of setting. So that was her gone until the next time she returns – which was unknown to everyone, even the woman herself.

May didn't understand how Drew managed to get himself out of bed so easily at six, way earlier than necessary. Work didn't start till nine and it only took about fifteen minutes to get to the office. May peeked at her alarm clock once again. Surely Drew was done in the bathroom now. With that thought in mind, she went into the bathroom, her movement slow and sluggish. Maybe a shower would wake her up.

She opened the bathroom door and locked it behind her. She took her pyjamas off and was about to remove her underwear too.

"Seriously May?" she heard a voice which caused her eyes to shoot wide open. Whirling round, she saw Drew in the Jacuzzi.

May felt her cheeks heat up rapidly and couldn't scurry out of the bathroom quick enough. It was at times like these she hated locks on doors, even though this one operated by a simple flick.

At least her eyes were open now.

xxxxxx

After the morning's faux par, May couldn't bear to face Drew again. Hopefully he wouldn't bring it up. She slowly went down the stairs, catching the attention of the green eyed man seated at the dining table. Drew looked up from his plate of pancakes and stared at May as she approached the table.

"Morning May dear." Drew smiled which May found odd. Why was he being nice to her all of a sudden? Did her mother-in-law decide to stay ANOTHER night? May hoped not; she didn't think she could keep her fake smile much longer.

She smiled warmly and approached the table, taking the seat across from Drew's. She had a view of the kitchen and saw someone dressed like a penguin whipping up another batch of pancakes. For her possibly? May hoped so because the aroma was enough to make her mouth water.

The said penguin came out of the kitchen with a fresh plate of stacked pancakes. He introduced himself as Alfred, the butler, before dismissing himself to do whatever it was he was being paid for. That was something May liked right away – having someone to serve her all the time. But it dawned on her. Alfred was the reason why Drew was being nice again. Not even the butler could know about their fake marriage.

"I see why you're being nice now." May said once she was sure that the butler was out of earshot.

"Of course." Drew smirked. "I have to say, I'm quite impressed that you caught on."

May stopped eating her pancakes for a minute to look at him. "I'm being paid. Of course I'll stay on guard and play along when necessary."

"Well, be prepared to play along till five today cause that's when work finishes." Drew said, "Now eat up, we're leaving soon."

May nodded even though she didn't understand why they were leaving so early.

xxxxxx

The car journey was filled with things May had to be familiar with in order for "the system to run smoothly" or something like that. May tried hard to remember everything Drew was firing at her but she could only write everything down so fast.

Once there, the chauffeur opened the door, allowing the 'loving' couple to step out. May linked her arm through Drew's and walked into the black, white and grey coloured building (which strangely enough reminded her of Alfred's work attire).

All eyes were on them as they walked in. It was the first time anyone of the employees had ever seen the wife of Drew Hayden, one of the richest CEOs.

They made it into the lift pretty sharpish and even then May continued to link arms with Drew, worried about being watched through the security cameras. He was surprised that May was smart enough realise that.

"Okay, so your office is on the top floor, the accountants' department is on the fifteenth floor." May repeated, trying hard to remember where some of the important places were. "The meeting room is on the sixteenth floor…"

"And where is your floor?" Drew asked, trying to get her to remember what was probably the most important floor to her.

"Emmm…" May hesitated but still managed to answer. "Floor seventeen." She replied enthusiastically once she remembered.

"Good. Not such a ditz after all." Drew mocked just as the elevator doors opened, letting them out on the top floor and leaving May with no time to retaliate.

But she could've. No one was on the floor. Drew's personal assistant hadn't showed up yet but it was still early. At barely eight, she didn't need to be here for at least another half hour. Drew usually showed up at nine sharp.

He unlocked his office door and pushed them open and once he had done so, it revealed a classy looking bookshelf that was straight ahead of them, a set of black leather couches (what is it with rich people and leather?) and a matching elegant black and silver glass coffee table. His desk was partially hidden behind the shelf that held a few ornaments such as a priceless hand painted vase. But once May did enter far enough into his room, she could see a neat stack of files on his trendy desk which had a good view of the city's streets and building as well as the harbour and its ships which looked tiny from their height.

Drew shut the door behind him and led May over to his desk. "Sit down." He commanded.

May complied and sat in the seat across from his side of the desk. She still wasn't sure why they had to be here so early but her question was soon answered.

Drew skimmed through a few documents and separated them into two piles. He handed May the larger pile and which must've had about four documents. "These are floor plans for a few locations in La Rousse. Don't screw it up." He said sternly.

May thought it was a bit unfair. She was new to the job and she was already handed four different projects. Sure, they were related to what her architecture and interior design degree and sure, they were all pretty small projects but still, it was her first time, shouldn't Drew be giving her one first to test the waters?

"So I have to come up with a new design for these places?" May asked, even though she was certain that that was what she was meant to do.

"No, you're going to colour them in and pin them up on the wall." Drew replied sarcastically. "If I wanted that I would've hired a kid."

"No need to drag little kids into this. I was just trying to confirm it, geez." May said, a little bit annoyed at Drew.

"Don't talk back, May, I can make the rest of your life a nightmare and I'm not afraid to do so." Drew said in a threatening tone.

May tried to ignore what he said to her and rose from her seat. "I'll be getting to work then." May dismissed herself, or at least attempted to. She wanted to get away from Drew right away.

"Not unless you know where you are going." Drew stated as he approached her. "Now wipe that look off your face." He said to her, referring to her gloomy expression.

May inspired and expired deeply then linked arms with Drew.

"Sure thing, moody." May said with a feigned smile plastered across her face.

Xxxxxx

The journey from Drew's office to May's one was quiet. May put on a bright smile when she saw people and greeted them with a pleasant "good morning" but she never said anything to Drew and he never said anything back to her. She still hadn't recovered from Drew's threat.

May's room was considerably smaller than Drew's room. It didn't have the open space for couches and a mini bar like Drew's room did. All she had was a desk, a few empty shelves and some seats but she liked how the wall that was on the same side as the door which was transparent much like the opposing wall. She had a view of the city only, she couldn't see the harbour at all but she didn't mind. She had a feeling that Drew was going to pile on the work so she wouldn't have time to enjoy the ocean view anyway.

May said a simple "thanks" to Drew before he introduced her to the employees on the floor. He left her to get on with her work after that but not before a loving peck on the cheek.

May took her seat behind the desk and put her head down. She had a tonne of work to do but she was prepared to complete as much as she could as fast as she could. There was no way she was going to allow herself to fall at the first hurdle and allow Drew to doubt her ability to work. May opened up the first file and started to read through what the client wanted and the floor plan of the location. She thought it would be a better place to go to the place to see it in person, anything to get away from the increasingly loud whispers and awkward stares from people.

May tried to find the address in the document somewhere. Surely it had to be there. Her task was interrupted by the sharp knock at the door.

She looked up to see a smartly dressed girl. Luscious, red, shoulder-lengthed locks, great figure underneath the yellow sleeveless dress that hugged her slender waist not too tightly or loosely and a gorgeous set of pins.

"Hello, I'm Brianna, you must he the new Mrs Hayden." She smiled a welcoming smile and extended a hand for May to shake.

May nodded and reciprocated the smile, unsure about what to say to her except for a "nice to meet you." They stood there in an awkward silence for a minute or so until May decided to ask Brianna about work.

Brianna suggested that May goes down to the place and check it out for herself before planning anything. And May did as Brianna suggested. After all, if they both thought of it, it must've been a good idea.

Xxxxxx

It was almost lunchtime and Drew hadn't heard from May all day. He, like May, was too absorbed in his work to think about anything.

When he left his room, he saw no one. Not even his assistant. But when he took the time to think about it, he had a vague memory of his assistant knocking on his door telling him that it was lunchtime before politely dismissing herself.

Drew made his way down to the seventeenth floor and to his surprise, everyone was gone too. Except for one.

"Oh, good afternoon Mr Drew." She said, surprised by his appearance. She didn't expect to see him here.

"You're working hard like always, Brianna." He said to her.

Brianna was very good at concealing her excitement about being praised by him. "Of course," she smiled, "It's what I'm being paid for."

That phrase reminded him of why he was here. "Did you keep an eye on May like I asked?" He questioned.

Brianna looked at him. "I introduced myself to her. But I haven't seen her since then." She replied, the volume of her speech decreasing as she approached the end of the sentence.

"You were probably working too hard to notice her." Drew said, though what he thought in his head was completely different. "Have you eaten yet?"

Brianna shook her head.

"Then let's go. Lunch is on me."

"Thank you Mr Drew." She said with a slight pink tint on her cheeks.

Xxxxxx

May hadn't noticed where the driver was taking her to when she called the address but once there, she instantly realised exactly where she was. She requested to be dropped off in front of a little cafe, one with a small wood burning fire and scrumptious lemon cake.

Upon entering the place, May felt a wave of nostalgia smack her right in the face. She used to come here pretty often. The last time she was here was when she was ducking the rain - which was as heavy as it was today - and ended up formally introducing herself to Drew. The little table they sat and chatted away at was empty, pretty much like the rest of the shop.

xxxxxx

27th December 2010

"I-I'm May." May introduced once she had sat down on the wooden chair. She gave him a warm smile and extended her hand. "And I just want to say thanks for the tea and cake."

"No problem. And I'm Drew Hayden." The green haired man introduced. "I really like the shoes, by the way." His gaze darted down to his footwear for a moment.

May's eyes followed suit. "I thought you might." She said, her smile not wavering at all.

"Yeah?" Drew asked, curious as to how she knew.

May nodded and took a sip of the hot beverage then answered, while setting her mug back down onto the low wooden coffee table in front of her. "I noticed you rejected all the other shoes and looking at the shoes you wore when you entered the store, I thought the ones I chose suit you more." She paused to take a breather. "But I was only taking a taking a chance." May added with a smile at the end of it.

"So you like to take chances?" Drew questioned, arching an eyebrow.

May nodded. "Absolutely."

"You seem like an interesting character." Drew said to her.

May beamed at that comment. "Why thank you. So, do you come here often?"

"No, it's my first time. My driver went to get more petrol for the car." Drew answered. "I don't usually come up to this area, though I did used to live here."

"Whereabouts?"

"Near the university."

May suddenly gave him an enthusiastic look. "You went to La Rousse uni too?" May asked excitedly.

Drew nodded.

"I went there too, well, actually, I still do. I'm studying my last year of my master's." May explained.

Drew nodded. "It's a nice place to study."

May nodded then looked at her watch. "I need to go, work calls." She said, making a disappointed face. "But maybe I'll bump into you again if you're ever around this area." She added with a smile like the one she had when they sat down.

"Hopefully, but just in case you don't," Drew started and paused as he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a business card in one smooth motion. "Here's my number." He handed her the card with his number on it.

May smiled. "Thanks." She said before leaving Drew behind.

He watched as she left, not taking his eyes off of her until her outline faded into the dense rain.

xxxxxx

7th April 2011

After lunch May stood outside the location and stared at it. The building seemed endless in height with the top and bottom of windows from each floor blending into the next. May wasn't sure if what she thought of as the top really was in fact the top of it. She went inside and found her way up to the desired floors and saw nothing and no one, obviously since she hadn't hired any renovators or bought any furniture for the soon to be new It restaurant. After getting a feel for the place she left.

But somehow she hadn't planned her trip out enough. She ended up standing outside in the rain while waiting for the chauffeur to return and by the time he had arrived, May was drenched from head to toe. Rainwater was trickling down her legs and forming a puddle in her shoes, lubricating her feet and ultimately causing them to slip off her feet slightly with every step she took.

She made a quick decision to go home and change into something else before returning to work. She slipped out of her dress and into a clean, crisp dress with a distinct dark bluey-purple top and a dark beige bottom and a pair of matching Carvella peep toe heels. She quickly fixed her hair and reapplied her make up then left to head back to the office to be stared at like some sort of circus freak.

Everyone had returned from lunch when May made it back- then again it was just about three o'clock. She went into her office and started to get the design of the first restaurant done, giving it a nice romantic theme. She found some really unusual looking ornaments to match the theme of the place like the heart shaped salt and pepper shakers and the red heart shaped love seats for the lounge area where she planned to put a bar. It's the little touches that made the special moments that people all too often take for granted.

She was so absorbed in her work that by she didn't even notice Drew standing by her room door. Or his loud, impatient knock.

"May." he interrupted her from her work. He moved closer to her and shut the door behind him. "Where have you been?"

"Here, planning the place." she said, indicating the files that were open and her monitor that had her plans on it with her pen. She didn't look up at all and continued to type things as they conversed.

"I came to find you at lunchtime and Brianna said she hadn't seen you all day after she introduced herself."

_Is that so? _May thought.

"I went out to check the place out." May said, her typing had ceased.

"Why? You're not supposed to just leave like that and it doesn't take you four hours to do something like that." Drew tried to keep his voice down in case any of the employees outside were trying to eavesdrop, which they most likely were.

In the other room Brianna could hear the couple speak loud and clear and she was enjoying every minute of it. She loved the well concealed holes in the walls.

"I went to get a feel for the place and it's all the way up north." May said, getting riled up by this conversation. She had completely stopped working by now.

"Why? That's what this is for." Drew said, picking up one of the many sheets scramble upon her desk. "I don't know if I can promise you your job after the two years." He said a bit more quietly. He knew the walls of this room were thin and didn't want to risk letting anyone hear that part.

May stared at him intently. "I know what I'm doing and if letting me see the place in person helps then I think it should be allowed." She defended.

"Then you better have a good idea at the meeting next week." Drew said before he stood up straight. He turned and left after that, slamming the door behind him.

May stared at the door for what seemed like a long time before she readjusted her attention from her door to her desk, a new determination rising in her. She was NOT going to let Drew get the better of her.

xxxxxx

May yawned. It had been a long day and all she could think about was work. She had completely finished one of her four projects but as a consequence, she had to sacrifice eating a nice home cooked meal. Her dinner at the office consisted of some ham and cheese in between two layers of semi-stale brown bread. Not fancy or particularly good but it would have to do. She didn't get home until eleven but that wasn't completely her work's fault; there was that factor and she didn't want to see Drew.

The elevator doors slid apart and invited her in to the place she now called home even though it didn't feel like it. For May, home should be a place where she could completely relax and feel she didn't need to keep her guard up all the time. Like now.

After a long day like today, the last thing she wanted was to see Drew so instead, she crashed on the couch downstairs.

* * *

Well, that's all for his update. Main points were just to introduce Brianna who will feature more in later chapters :)

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and reviews are, like always, much appreciated!

~silver-hedgehog


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